21. What was Tyrian dye and why was it important?

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Tyrian dye also known as murex was a very valuable purple dye made from sea snails. It took thousands of snails to make a pound of murex, which was why it was so expensive. The dye was so costly that it could only be afforded by kings and nobles. This is why purple is known as the royal color, because only royals wore it, due to the high cost. Archaeological data from Tyre shows that the snails were collected in large tanks and crushed completely. The dye was also precious because it did not fade, but became brighter with weathering and sunlight.

http://www.ancient.eu/article/196/

Manual page 117

Allison Biegel